The embryo remains, and there is no one left to ask what was intended

The options

The order shown is not a ranking of preference.

1. Option 1

   Continue storage

   Leaves the possibility open but shifts cost and judgment burden to the next generation.

2. Option 2

   Case-by-case review of use

   Addresses present demand but interprets past intent on someone's behalf.

3. Option 3

   Begin procedures to end storage

   Settles undefined obligations but creates irreversible loss.

The situation as it stands

This is a setting in which embryos stored for over 100 years may remain viable. Decision deadline: 1 year until the storage facility is relocated.

Fictional reproductive material trust

1. Premise 1This is a setting in which embryos stored for over 100 years may remain viable.
2. Premise 2The consent form specified storage, but future use and the authority of descendants are unclear.
3. Premise 3The demands of donor descendants, people hoping to raise a child, and the local community conflict.

Where it holdsSets the procedures for storage, contact, and applications to use. Must follow present reproductive-consent law and independent review.

What is still unknown

1. Unknown 1The cultural meaning of the consent wording at the time
2. Unknown 2A conflict between the interests of present applicants and of future children

Signals to decide again

• Decide what observation, responsible person, and confirmation window would verify "the cultural meaning of the consent wording at the time," and re-judge when a new verification changes the tradeoffs of the options.
• Decide what observation, responsible person, and confirmation window would verify "a conflict between the interests of present applicants and of future children," and re-judge when a new verification changes the tradeoffs of the options.